Tire-forming apparatus.



I. T. Usme. TIRE PoR-MINI; AWARMUS,

APPLICATION FILED IULV 12.19I3. Lwww mam-311mm, im.,

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I. T. usm.

TIRE FOHIVIING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JULY I2. i913.

l LIAI.' Pmnted July 11, 1916.

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JOHN T. LISTERI, OF CLEVELAND, UHF).

TIRE-FDRMING APPARATUS.

Specificationof Letters Patent. Patented ,lilly jill', 19th Application filed July 12, 1913. Serial No. 778,636.

paratus and is an improvement over the ap.

paratus forming the subject mattei' of my prior application 'Serial No. 760,896, filed April 14th, '1913.

ln the machine constructed in accordance with my prior invention, and forming the subject mattei' of the application just referrcd to, there is provided a frame carrying a pluiality ot,-prei`erably 'tourr-coi lapsible cores, on which is adapted to be wound tire forming material which is fed from different sources of supply suitably located in iiiie with the cores when in the four tire forming positions. A set of conm pressorsis arranged at each tire teeming position and cooperates with the cores, each set being adapted to compress and shape on a core the material which i'orins a. particular part ci? the tire or thel materiai which is outer part of the second tire is Wound or` comin-esseri on the next adjacent core. By the iiitern'iittent rotation ot the frame, the ditierent cores can be successively brought to different positions. in proper relationship with respect to the sources of supply, and with respect to the compressors correspondint*` to the di'ii'erent positions, so that a plurality oi" tires are progressively constructed. As each core passes from the last to the first .or initial position, the material forming the inner or foundation part'oil a tire again wound on that core.

The present invention relates to certain improvements 'in the'inachine above briefly described. the object being,T to provide ceri tain iinpi'oven'ients which increase` the ciliciency and speed ot the machine.

More specifically, the present invention reiates tri-certain' iii'ipioveinents in the means for supporting the cores on the traine; to the means for driving,y or rotatingr the cores and the compressors, and tota guiding and shaping means which isiitilized in connection with each core to cause the material to conform substantially to the shape` or contour of the core, as the material is wound on the core, and is about to pass ,beneath the first compressors, and to prevent it` from sagging and adhering at the wrong point' to the core or previouslywound layers.

My invention may be further briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel details of construoon and combinatioiisand arrangements of'parts which will be described -n the speciiication and set forth in` the appended claims.l

ln the accompanying sheet of drawings, wherein l have shown the preferred embodiment oi my invention, Figure l is a side elevation, with parts inV vertical section, of a portion of th'e machine; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a'portion of the machine, With parts in horizontal section substantially along the lino 2-2 of Fig. l.; Fig.l 3 is an 'llt end view, looking toward one of the hores,

'and mechanism associated therewith', and

stantially along the line of Fig. l,

looking in .the direction.indicated by the arrow.l i t l v Referring now to the drawings, it will be seen that the machine includes a suit* able base i which supports a stationary vertical shaft or post ll. vSuitahly supported on roller bearings 12, in turn supported by the base and shaft 11, is airtime 13 having four outwardly projecting arms 13, iii the outer portion ot' eachy ot' Lwhich is supported a collapsiblecore 1i on which tires are adapted to be formed. Iln Fig. 1,-

one of these outstanding core supporting arms is shown,the i'our arms heilig arranged apart, as indicatedin Fig. 2.,

As fully described in my prior application, the material is adaptedto be ted onto the cores simultaneously troinyfour diii'ei'n ent sources o'ffsupply, such' as reels, and

" as a portion ot the tire is formed with the cores in one winding position., the frame is the presentinvention, and as the same are shown m my prior application. v

Supported by the-shaft 11, above the ro tary core supporting' frame 13 is a relatively fixed frame 16 carrying a plurality of sets of rotary compressors and compress or supporting arms. There are four sets of compressors, or one corresponding to each windingposition, and the diiierent sets will beshaped to substantially' conform to that portion of the tire which is formed at the particularwinding position at which the `set 'of compressors is located.

It will be observed by reference to Figs.l

l and 2, that eachfset of compressors in`- cludes a forward pair 17, and a rearward pair 18 which engagethe side .portionsgof vthe core, or partially completed tire, and

a compressor 19 which engages the top of thepartia-lly completed tire. -The forward -pair of compressors 17 are secured to driving spindles rotatively su ported by a pair -J. ot'arms 2() wlich extend trom the compressors inwardly to and are pivotally connected by vertical pins to the frame 16, so that the said arms and the compresso-rs carried thereby may be'swung inwardly from or toward the core which is between the compressors. Likewise the rearward pair of coinpressors 18 are supported `on spindles carried by a pair of arms 21 which extend 1nwardly along the outer sides of the arms 20, and are likewise pivotally connected to the frame 16 so as to swiner in the same manner that the arms 20 may swing.

The arms 21 are connected together by i acoil spring 2 2 which p ulls the compres- 4which is between them.

served thatl the spindles supporting the SOI'S 18 IlWflIdly toward and onto the core, or partially completed tire. These arms 21 have inwardly extending lugs which lengage the inner'pair -of arms 20,' so that these arms and the compressors 17 carried thereby'are likewise drawn inwardly by the-same spring .22, and the compressors 17, as well as the compressors 18, are yieldingly pressed against the side portions of the core 'or partially completed tire.

The compressor 19 which engages the top 'part of the core or 'partially completed tire iscarriedI by an iii-m23 which is pivoted to the frame so that it may swing vertically,

and the arm 23 and compressor 19 are yield- -ingly-pressed downward by a compression spring.24arranged between an abutment on the arm an a corresponding abutment on the frame and surrounding a bolt 25 which is provided at its outer end with a sto y nut 26. V I

n my prior application, the cores are positively driven, and in turn drive. thecompressors, but in the present case, the forward pair of compressors 17 of each set are positively driven and rotate the core It will be obcompressors 17 are provided at their upper ends with horizontally 'disposed sprocket wheels 27 which are adapted to be connected by suitable sprocket chains (which for the sake of clearness are not shown) to correspending horizontally disposed sprocket wheels 28, mounted on spindles supported byl the frame 16. Secured to and rotating with the rear sprocket wheels 28 are a pair of intel-meshing gears 29, one of which engages a larger gear 30 rotatablysupported by suitable bearings 31 carried by the shaft 11 and stationary frame 16, above the latter.

By reference to Fig. 2. it will be seen that the central gear 30 drives the four pairs of gears 29 utilized with the tour sets of coinpressors, and vthat by the arrangement shown, the two outer compressors of each set will be simultaneously rotated in opposite directions. The `central driving gei 30 is driven by a vertical shaft 83 which is connected to one of the gears 29 as shown 'in Figs. 1 and 2, and this shaft 33 which extends upwardly to the top ot' the central in my prior application, so that there will be a true rollingr action, and little slippage between the,compressors and theI material which they engage. y

The compressors 17 and 18 and the pivoted or swinging arms supporting the saine may be spread apart for a purpose to be reierrcd to presently, b v spreading.;r mechanism, including,r a lever 3l ha ving a T-shaped portion, the ends of which are connected by links 35 to the ends of the spindles supporting the compressors 17 and' sprocket wheels Another important feature ot' my invention consists in providingl in connection with each set of.compressors a guide and Shaper 36, through which the tire forming strip or material passes just before it reaches the core, and passes beneath the forward set of compressors. ln' the present ease, the guide is composed of. or is divided into two similar parts 36 and 36", as shown in Fi s. 1, 2 and 4, said parts being supported ad jacent each other, by arms 37 projectingr outwardly from the compressor supporting,r arms 20 immediately in frontof the compressors 17. Euch part of the guide 36 includes a pair of plates which arespaced apart, and between which the material is adapted to pass as it is fed onto the core, and thev guide 'as a` whole when the two parts thereof are in guiding conforms substantially to the shape or cross sectional contour of the core, and Vis quite close to the latter. The result is that when the tire forming strip is wound onto the core, just before it reaches the core, it is in l5 substantially the shape that it assumes when it is on the core, and ,it is so guided and shaped previous to itsx application to the core that the compressors smooth and compress the strip without any material wrinkling or creasing. This guide therefore does away with the liablity of the material, which is very strongly adhesive, improperly `contacting and sticking onto the material previously wound on the lcore, and does away with the necessity of frequently pulling or ripping sections of the strips from the core, as is-v often required with tire forming maohines in'use at the present time, espeially machines of the hand operated type.

t will be understood that the plates forming the guide are suitably spaced and held apart so that the tire forming strips may feed freelyT through or between the saine, but ssl/a strip is so shaped as it passes Y plates, that it will conform sub- ,stantiall` to thevshape of the core, when it emerges trom the inner endl of the guide, and 'passes between the compressors and the core. f

Ml vililhen the material has been wound from Ifthe different sources of supply onto the four cores, and is compressed on the latter, and .when 4the portions of the tires on the cores corresponding to the four winding positions t5 have been completed, the compressors will be spread apart by manipulating the hand levers 34, and thence, the frame and the cores will .be turned relatively to the compressors, so that each core will be advanced `one step. ln order that the frame and cores ,may be turned readily, I proyideuneans whereby the several cores may be lowered beneath the compressors which normally engage the sides of the cores. It will be observed by reference to Figs. 1 and Il, that' links a3, which at their lower ends are pivotally connected tomenibers 1M- 'secnredxto a .i

shaft supported for rotary movement in thelower end of the portion of` the. frame supln'n'ting the core. i This shaft hassecured to one end` a lever 46, which 'an be recited. to rotatelthe shaft 45, andto raise and lower the core. ,i i f o When it is desired to rotate tlieframe and 'the four cores supported thereby,eaeli of the` cores will be lowered beneath the compressors, so that the latter. will not obstinict vthe swinging oi" rotary lmovement of the cores. After the cores are properly positioned circumferentially, after being advanced by the rotation of the frame, they .can be elevated or moved upwardly between the side compressors, after1 which the latter can be swung inwardly so that the compressors will engage the core, and be in position to eoin press tire forming material wound thereon.

llaving'thus described my invention, what l claim is:

1.. ln a tire forming machine, a frame, a

core supported thereby and adapted to have wound thereon tire forming material, rotary compressors coperating with the sides and top of the core ,to compress the material wound thereon, and means for positively 1o tating certain of the side compressors so that the latter will rotate the core by their engagement therewith, said core being supported independently of the compresso-rs.

2. lin a tire forming machine, a frame, a rotary core supported thereby, a plurality of pairs of rotary compressors coperating with the core and arranged on opposite sides of the same so asl to vcompress material wound on the core, and means for positively driving a part of the compressors so v'that the latter mayrotate the core, as well as compress material wound on the latter, said core being supported independently of the 3. ln a tire forming machine, a frame., a

rotar core-.sumorted thereb f and adauted 'end curved substantially in conformity with the curvature of the core and being composed of upper and lower parts between' which the material passes.

et. ln a tire roi'iiiing machine, rotary core compressors adapted to shape material on the core, a rotary support for 5he core pery .mitting the core to be swung laterally with.

respect to theoompressors, and means .for raising and lowering the core relative to the compressors.

5. ln a tire -forming machine, a support, a

ment about a substantially vertical axis, a

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`frame supported thereby for rotary movel, titl opposite sides of the cord supportedl bythe frame for rotary' movement about a substantially horizontal axis, compressors sup orted in proximity to the core and indepen latter, and means -for raising the core upwardly between thecomlpressors and for lowering the same beneath the compressors.

6; Inl a tire forming machine, a frame, a rotary 'core supported thereby and adapted to have tire forming material wound thereon, a guide for the material arranged -adlthe core. and composed of two movjacent able. sectlons, and a pau' of movable supports for said sections.

7. In. a tire forming machine, a frame, a

ently thereof, and. on

two sections one car` rotary-core supportedtherebyand adaptetl i.

ried by one of said supports and the other I bythe other of said supports. l

In testimony .whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the .presence of two witnesses.

. 'JOHN LISTER. Witnesses: i

^ L. I. PORTER, 

